Photographic-printing machine.



v J; S. CUMMINGS;

PHOTOGBAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE; APPLICATION FILED liABufi. 1906.

L025,24:9. Patented May 7, 1912.

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' WITNESSES:

J. S. CUMMINGS. PHOTOGRAPHIG PRINTING} MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5, 1906. v

Patented May 7, 1912.

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J. S. GUMMINGS.

PHOTOGBAPHIO PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5,190 6.

7 1,025,249. Patented May 7, 19 12.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COUWASHINGTON D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. CUMMINGS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PHOTOGRAPHIC-PRINTING MACHINE.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Application filed March 5, 1906. Serial No. 304,156.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN S. CUMMINGS, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Printing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to improvements in the art of photography, and the object of the invention is to provide a device for exposing and printing suitably sensitized paper or other material from a negative embodying a shutter with appropriate devices for operating it to determine the amount of exposure given the sensitized material, and conveniently operable devices for holding the sensitized material positioned during the exposure, provision being also made whereby evenly-exposed prints maybe obtained from negatives of uneven denslty, or certain portions of negatives may be subjected to greater exposure in order that the best prints may be obtained.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a printing device embodying my invention, taken on the line X-X of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation of the device. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section on line OO of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the printing chamber, and Fig. 5 is a front view of the printing chamber and the shutter arranged therein.

The printing device as shown in the present embodiment of my inventionis adapted to printing on suitably sensitized paper from photographic negatives, and itconsists generally of an upper compartment having two sides, 12, a top 3, and bottom a forming a printing chamber. This chamber is open on the front to admit light rays for effecting the exposures, and preferably within this chamber is arranged a movable shutter 5 which in the present construction is pivoted on a shaft 6 journaled in the upper part of the printing chamber so that its weight or gravity will normally tend to operate it toward and hold it in closed position as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, the dotted lines in Fig. 1 showing the position occupied by the shutter while in open position. This shutter is preferably operable from the exterior of the chamber, and for this purpose it is provided in the present construction with a knob or operating portion 7 formed on the rotatable shaft 6, whereby the shutter may be operated as required.

The negatives from which the prints are to be made are preferably arranged at the rear of the printing chamber, or at a point in rear of the shutter, and I therefore provide a suitable negative holder, embodying in the present instance the vertical members 8 and 9 in the form of strips recessed at their inner edges to receive the side edges of and center a negative 10, adjusting screws 11 being journaled in the front wall of the casing and cooperating with nuts 12 rigidly secured to said members and preferably provided to afford forward and rearward adjustment for the negative holder so that the latter may accommodate negatives of difierent thickness.

The prepared paper is adapted to be held firmly against the rear surface of the negative by means of the doors 1516, which are hinged to the side frames 17-17 of the casing forming the printing chamber, and are preferably provided with wire springs 18 and 19 longitudinally twisted to produce a torsional action thereon normally tending to throw the doors open when released, a padding or felt or other suitable material 20 being preferably provided at the inner sides of the doors to insure an even and yielding pressure of the paper against the plate.

In order to enable visual inspection of the light cast on the negative, the doors and felt may be provided with a series of sight apertures 21 extending through the doors and felt at different points, as shown in Fig. 2, through which holes the transmitted light can be seen, as will be more fully hereinafter explained.

Any suitable means may be employed to retain the doors in closed position during the printing operation, the means employed in the present instance embodying a strip 22 fastened to one of the doors and overlapping the other, a portion of the said strip extending upwardly a short distance beyond the doors so that when the latter are in closed position said strip will engage a notch 23 cut in the side of a locking member or lever 24, the latter being fulcrumed on a pivot 23 that is fastened to the top of the casing as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5. This locking member is preferably mounted to operate in a direction transversely of the line of movement of the strip 22 and said lever is provided with an inclined or cam-like surface 23, leading toward the notch, so that these doors may be swung nearly into closed position by hand and then as the locking member is operated, the projecting portion of the strip 22 will be operated on by the cam surface 23' to completely close the doors with sufficient pressure to firmly hold the sensitized material in printing position against the negative. This locking member or lever 24 is provided at one side of its pivot with a thumb knob or handle 26 and the other end of said lever is divided to form a pair of spaced fingers or projections 27 adapted to engage on opposite sides of a detent 28, the latter being pivoted to the front edge of the casing and provided with a notch 29 adapted to cooperate with a latch 30 carried by a movable part of the shutter as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the said latch being in the present instance pivoted to swing laterally so as to automatically engage the detent 28 when the shutter is moved out of position between the illuminating device and the negative, a spring 31 being provided for holding the latch and detent in cooperative relation, the latch being limited in its motion in one direction by a stop 31..

The pivot 25 for the locking member is preferably provided with an attaching plate 25 having slots 32 therein to receive fastening screws 32, and this provides means for adjusting the position of the pivot of the locking member so that the notch 23- therein and its adjacent cam surface 23 will occupy different positions relatively to the strip 22 of the doors, and in this way the pressure produced between the sensitized material and the negative may be adjusted, and it also compensates for different thicknesses of the material and the felt on the doors.

A deflector 33 is preferably provided heneath the doors for guiding the prints as they fall away from the negative, and in order to facilitate the positioning and removal of the negative relatively to its holder, this deflector may be pivoted to the casing by means of a hinge 33 so that the deflector may be temporarily displaced from normal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, a button 34: being provided for holding it in normal operative position.

Beneath the printing chamber is provided a receptacle for the prints composed of two sides 3536, having a horizontal groove 37 to slidably receive a shelf 88, and on the inner end of this shelf is fastened a smooth deflector 39, bent at an angle above the shelf and having a vertically-extending portion below it to serve as a closure for the print receptacle, the compartment being closed on the front by a partition 40 to exclude all light from that direction, the complete printing box and print compartment being mounted on a base 41.

Any suitable source of light may be utilized in the printing operation, an artificial illuminating device being shown in the pres ent instance embodying a platform 4L2, capable of being raised or lowered to suit con ditions by means of the guides 4E3-- H, and the thumb screws 45 and 4:6 for holding the platform securely in adjusted position. On the platform is mounted the illuminating device embodying either oil, gas or electric lights, oil burners being shown in the present instance, although any suitable form of light may be employed. The lamp shown embodies an oil font 1-7, a burner 48, and a chimney -19. A. screen 50 is also provided having different portions adapted to be interposed between the light and the negative, the particular form of screen shown herein embodying an annular form and adapted to operate about the burner, said screen having ground or obscured portions as shown by stipple work in Figs. 1 and 3. These screens are each supported on a gallery 51 resting on the font of its respective burner, an arm 52 extending outward to permit them to be adjusted to bring different portions thereof into position between the burner and the sensitized material, as will be more fully hereinafter described. A suitable hood 53 may be provided for the purpose of confining the light emitted by the burners, which may be painted with kaolin or other fire-proof coating of light color to reflect the light rays, slides 54: be ing preferably provided therein through which the burners can be lighted, and through which observation may be had of the flame or light.

In operating the photographic printing device herein shown, the lamps or burners are arranged on their supporting platform and the latter set at the proper height, and the negative is suitably fastened in the nega tive holder. If an evenly-exposed print is desired, the screens are so adjusted that the obscured parts are removed from between the light and the negative, so that the light rays are practically unobstructed and are transmitted directly and with full strength. If, for instance, the plate contains a landscape view and it is desired to print out the sky more than the foreground or thinner part of the negative, this can be effected either by arranging the negative with the denser portion representing the sky toward the bottom, and then lifting the shutter while an observation is made of the horizon on the negative through the sight apertures in the doors so that when the shutter is raised it permits the light to affect the paper only as far as that point, or practically the same result may be accomplished by offsetting the illuminating device relatively to the negative so that a portion of the negative will receive the direct or stronger rays of light while the remainder of the negative will receive reflected or diffused light. When the shutter is fully raised it will be latched and held in an open position by the latch 30 and the detent 28 arranged to cooperate therewith, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then the paper has been sufficiently exposed, the operator shifts the lever 24 causing movement of the detent to release the shutter and permit it to move into closed position, and the same operation of the locking lever serves to disengage the strip 22 from the notch 23 and tlnis bermitting them to be thrown open by their springs. The exposed papen'as soon as released, by the opening of the doors, falls away from the negative and slides down the inclined portion ofthe deflector to and along the slanting chute, and is finally landed in the print receptacle below.

In order that good prints may be obtained from thin or underexposed negatives, the shaded portions of the screens may be brought into position between the light or lights and the negative, and this is accomplished in the present construction by shifting the handles 52 which are attached to the screens 5%. By operating these screens so that the shaded portions diffuse or diminish the strength of the light projected on a portion only of the negative, certain portions of the negatives may be given greater exposure than the remainder thereof.

A photographic printing device constructed in accordance with my invention is adapted to facilitate the operations of printing from negatives, and it is particularly useful in cases where a number of prints are to be made from each negative, for although the negatives may be-defective in that portions thereof are under or overexposed, by adjusting the relation between the source of light and the negative, or by appropriately positioning the screens relatively to the negatives, the proper or desired degree of exposure may be produced upon the dif ferent portions of the negatives so that a uniform set of good prints may be obtained therefrom. Moreover, the various operations necessary during the printing operations are simplified, as the doors serve as platens to press the sensitized material evenly against the negative during the printing operation, and when sufiicient exposure has been had, a single operation of the lockin member serves not only to release the siutter and thus cut off the light, but serves to release the doors composing the platen, the operation of the shutter and platen being practically simultaneous, the platen being thus permitted to open and permit the prints to leave the negative and enter the receptacle provided for them, so that the negative will be in readiness to receive a fresh piece of sensitized material. As the locking member also serves to mechanically press the doors as a platen against the sensitized material to hold the latter in printing position against the negative, uniform pressure is insured between the sensitized material and the negative, and by employing an adjustment for this locking member, the parts may be set to compensate for variations in the thickness of the negatives and the printing material so that the desired pressure may be obtained between the printing material and negative.

The screens for diffusing or softening the light may be employed to advantage when used in connection with thin negatives, or those requiring greater exposure in certain portions thereof, as the prints from thin or underexposed negatives may be made slowly by diffused light in order to obtain the proper definition and contrast.

Of course the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment herein shown, as any suitable illuminating device may be employed in place of that shown, and in some cases the printing may be effected by daylight, as it is only necessary to leave the printing chamber open at one end to a suit-able source of light. The screens also may be adapted to the particular source of light employed, while the platen may be constructed and arranged in different Ways, for instead of employing the double-door arrangement shown, platens of different kinds could be employed in constructing a printing machine according to my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. In a device for exposing photographic material, the combination with a suitable chamber arranged to receive light from a suitable source, of a platen arranged to hold the sensitized material in exposing position, means normally tending to operate the platen to release the sensitized material, a shutter having a normal tendency to move to cut oif light to the sensitized material, means independent of the platen operating means for moving the shutter to exposing position after the platen has been moved to exposing position, and a member cooperating with the shutter and platen for locking them in exposing position and arranged to simultaneously release them to allow said shutter to move into position between the sensitized material and the light, and to allow said platen to release said sensitized material.

2. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable chamber for the sensitized material, of a platen for holding the sensitized material in exposing position, a shutter for coverlng and uncovering the sensitized material, having a normal tendency to move to cover the material, a locking device for holding the platen in exposing position and a locking device for holding the shutter in exposing position connected to the locking device for the platen whereby the operation of one locking device effects the operation of the other.

8. In a device for exposing sensitized materials, the combination with an exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, of a platen for holding the sensitized material in exposing position having a normal tendency to release the material, a shutter having a normal tendency to cut off the light from said material, means for moving the shutter to exposing position after the platen has been moved to exposing position and means operatively connected for locking the shutter and platen in exposing position.

4. In a device for exposing photographic material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, and a platen for positioning the material in exposing position having a normal tendency to release the material, of a shutter, a device operating automatically to retain the shutter when the latter is moved into exposing position and a locking member for the platen having operative connection with the said device and movable to simultaneously release the platen and the shutter.

5. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, a device for holding the sensitized material in exposing position having a normal tendency to release the material, and a shutter, of a device operating automatically to retain the shutter when the latter is moved into exposing position, and a locking member for the material. holding device, adapted to release the shutter from the automatic retaining means.

6. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, a device for holding the sensitized material in exposing position having a normal tendency to release the material, and a shutter having a normal tendency to close, of a retaining device having latching engagement with the shutter while in its open position, and a locking device for the material holding device controlling the position of the retaining device.

7. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, a device for holding the sensitized material in exposing position having a normal tendency to release the material, and a shutter, of a latch carried by the shutter, a detent to cooperate with the latch when the shutter is open, and a locking device for the material holding device operating the detent to permit closing of the shutter when the material is released from the holder.

8. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, and a device for holding the material in exposing position, of a shutter having a normal tendency to close, a latch thereon, a detent arranged to cooperate with said latch to hold the shutter in open position and a locking device for the material holding device having operative connection with the detent to release the shutter upon the release of the material holding device.

9. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, and a device for holding the material in exposing position, of a shutter normally operating to cut off the light from said material, means for automatically retaining the shutter when the latter is swung open to expose the sensitized material and a locking device for the material holding device adapted to operate the automatic retaining means to release the shutter upon the release of the material holding device.

10. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, and a device for holding the sensitized material in exposing position, of a shutter having a tendency to assume its closed position, a latch thereon, a movable detent arranged to cooperate with said latch and serving to retain the shutter in open posit-ion, and a locking device for the material holding device cooperating with the detent to release the shutter when the latter is open and the holder is in exposing position. 1

11. In a device for exposing photographic materials, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, of a platen for holding the sensitized material in exposing position embodying two independently pivoted. members, one of them having a strip thereon and cooperating with the other member to hold them in closed position, and a locking member arranged to cooperate with said strip.

12. In a device for exposing photographic material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, of a platen for holding the sensitized material in exposing position embodying two independently pivoted members, means normally tending to operate them to release the material, a part arranged on one of the members and overlapping the other, and a locking member adapted to cooperate with said part for locking and releasing said members.

13. In a device for exposing sensitized material, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber, of a platen for holding the material in exposing position and a movable locking member having an inclined portion thereon arranged to cooperate with a part on the platen to operate the latter toward the said material.

14. In a photographic printing device, the combination with a suitable exposure chamber adapted to receive light from a suitable source, of a platen for holding the photographic material in printing position, a shutter for cutting off the light from the said material, a detent having latching engagement with the shutter, and a locking member controlling the operation of the platen and engaging the detent to release the shutter.

15. In a device for printing photographs, a printing chamber open to the light at one end, means for holding a negative in posi tion at the other end, a pair of hinged doors having a part operatively connecting them when in closed position to hold the printing paper against said negative, a movable shutter for cont-rolling the exposure of the material, and means for holding said shutter in exposing position, in combination with. a double acting lever provided with means for releasing the shutter and doors simultaneously.

16. A device for exposing sheets of sensitized materials comprising a suitable chamber for the sensitized material, a platen for holding the sheets of material in exposing position, movable to release the sheets, and a substantially light tight receptacle arranged below the chambers, and having shelf slidably arranged therein and carrying a deflector to receive the sheets released by the platen.

17. In a device for exposing sheets of sensitized materials, the combination with a suitable chamber for the sensitized material. of a platen for holding the sheets of material in exposing position movable to release the sheets, and a substantially light tight receptacle having a deflector arranged at a point below the material while in printing position for receiving said material after its release by the platen.

18. In a photographic printing device, the combination with a casing forming aprinting chamber, a negative holder therein, and a platen for holding the sensitized material in printing position relatively to the negative, of an artificial illuminating device, and a rotatable screen operable about the illuminating device having suitably prepared portions thereon serving to diffuse or modify the light projected on the sensitized material.

19. In a photographic printing device, the combination with the casing forming a print-- ing chamber, a negative holder therein, and a platen for holding the sensitized material in printing position relatively to the negative, of a vertically adjustable illuminating device, and a rotatable screen operable about the illuminating device, having suitably prepared portions thereon serving to diffuse or modify the light projected on the sensitized material.

20. In a device for exposing sheets of sensitized materials, the combination with a suitable chamber for the sensitized material, of a negative holder, a platen for holding a sheet on a negative in the holder, and a deflector for the sheets, pivoted below the negative holder to permit the insertion and the removal of a negative.

21. In a photo-printing machine, a frame, a negative holding means therein, movable means for pressing sensitive material upon the negative, means for locking said pressing means in holding position, means for automatically opening said pressing means when unlocked, to release the sensitive material, a receptacle, and means for directing the released material into the receptacle.

JOHN S. CUMMINGS.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE A. BATEMAN, G. WILLARD RICH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

